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Michael Ganschow, a longtime attorney in the public defender’s office, died on 5/16 after a battle with leukemia. Ganschow was known as a brilliant legal mind and perhaps most famously defended Graham Pressley, the 17-year-old convicted of second-degree murder in the 2000 shooting of Nicholas Markowitz. Ganschow was able to convince a judge that Pressley — facing 18 years to life in prison — should be sentenced as a juvenile. Ganschow, who went to Stanford Law School, had been an attorney since 1974.

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There are different stories about this man's abilities as a PD, but overall he did many people right most of the time, and there were always many people who wished they had him on their side. Condolences to his family and that he rest in peace.

Those who knew "this man" have no doubt of his abilities. He was the ultimate advocate of his clients and of knowledge and courage. He spoke truth to ;power and set a model for all of us. He was encyclopedic in knowledge and language, enjoying the challenges of everything from string theory to classic car auctions. His untimely death is a hit for all of us who pursue the underdog's cause.